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Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
An extensive shallow sea area with three large islands (Alvrø, Hjarnø and Endelave), supporting coastal saltmarshes, lagoons, cultivated land and scattered habitation. Several smaller uninhabited islets as well as intertidal areas are included within the IBA.
The site holds a large breeding colony of
Phalacrocorax carbo and high numbers of wintering
Aythya marila and
Somateria mollissima. Breeding data are incomplete since numbers were not available for Alrø, Søby Rev and Svanegrunden islands. Several species listed on Annex I of the EC Birds Directive breed at the site, including
Circus aeruginosus,
Recurvirostra avosetta,
Sterna sandvicensis,
S. paradisaea and
S. albifrons.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Access is prohibited to some areas and in several parts of the IBA hunting is forbidden.
National Low
International High42,880 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Horsens Fjord and Endelave, 43,200 ha). 42,880 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Horsens Fjord and Endelave, 42,880 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Horsens Fjord, Svanegrunden & Endelave (Denmark). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/horsens-fjord-svanegrunden-&-endelave-iba-denmark on 23/12/2024.